A contest with a pot of 20 STEEM? You're in the right place!

327 @steembasicincome shares awarded till now, plus 22.558 SBD, 350 STEEM, & 12402 SNAX tokens through the contest in 66 weeks!

Welcome, voyagers of the fantastic crypto-powered never-ending-stream-of-amazingness, to our 67th Edition of the Finish The Story Contest! It's your pal, @Oivas, hosting the contest on behalf of @f3nix. All the @bananafish knights and paladins are going head-over-heels to get the contest out. It is a good problem to have. We have the prompt but are quite busy to post it. It may sound simple, but there are a lot of things that go behind the scene to ensure what we promise in the contest is upheld at the end of it. So, it does take time. That said, we are here now and that’s what matters. Hope you all are ready to cut loose to delve into a fantasy world where psionic talents are the norm, and exotic creatures roam free.

What treasures await within the mysterious depths of Drosselmeyer's trunk?

This particular time we are doing it a bit differently. What is different, you ask? Here it is.

1st place: 15 STEEM

Best comment: 5 STEEM (We are looking for an insightful curation comment. It doesn't have to be long or flamboyant.)

Well, in my lingo that is called short-and-sweet and right on time for the holiday season. 😊

This time there would be a jury which will preside over your entries. Does that sound fun or nerve-wracking? Either way, we would be more than one member going through all your fantastic stories; @f3nix and @oivas for sure.

As always, we thank our supporters and well-wishers who help us bring this exciting contest to our followers. In that, we thank @curie, @ocdb, @curangel and all our curators who enjoy and support genuine and quality content.

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Map of the Bananafish Realms from a squirrelly perspective!

• Share the love and tell a friend about the contest!
• Join the Bananafish Realms discord chat for fresh updates and other amenities.
• Vote, vote, vote your favorite story in the comments below!
• Use the #finishthestory tag.
• Try to post your story as early possible and not at the last moment (or after the results! argh!) to give people a chance to read yours before they vote
• Respect the dreadful 700 words limit! o_0. We have increased the word count for this time.
• Help our contest & workshop to grow by giving it some visibility and consider linking back to this post in your entry.

With the best intentions

"A double toast! At your brilliant timing, for the second damn time."

The nurse spoke turning his gaze to the parking lot, beyond the window whose bars, swallowed by rust, had lost all their decorative hypocrisy. His cheerful lashing tone clashed with the fixture of his gaze elsewhere.

The lump of words channelled along the patient's Eustachian tubes like a sticky egg liqueur, while the neodymium lamp commented on the phrase with a quick moth’s flicker.

Through the steel bar on the side of the bed, her bleary, half-closed eyes returned to her the image of a lanky shape exiting the bedroom.

She wondered why she had only been noticed now, only now despite the endless carousel of drowsiness in which she had fallen for eons. A never-ending display of Chinese lamps, swarming with the nightmares of a painting by Bosch.

The impetus of thirst coagulated in a guttural moan, insufficient to make the sarcastic human crane turn back towards her.

The sound she emitted reminded her of a documentary with a koala, forced to walk on hot coals during a forest fire. It was something she had seen with Lucian that last night spent together before she left in secret heading to the clinic.

I had to fix it for us, Lucian. For once only, maybe the right one. And instead, look where I fucking got myself.

A sudden laugh tried to make its way. The spasms brought to her mind the horrible awareness of those tubes that, like worms, were violating her body. She had not noticed but two figures were now observing her from the edge of the bed.

"Rise and shine, Ms. White. You had a car accident just a mile away from the clinic. Fortunately, on his way back home after the shift, Valery noticed the wheels of your vehicle in the ditch along the avenue. We had to operate you urgently, a lung had collapsed and we had to contain internal haemorrhage in the abdominal cavity. It was not easy but someone up there decided that your day had not yet arrived. "

As he spoke, the doctor's eyes stared at her in dullness and, at the same time, darting with curiosity.

She would have said that some of her saviour’s facial muscles - not all the necessary ones - were struggling to reproduce a slow smile. The attendant loomed from behind the doctor's silhouette, tilting his head silently to one side.

For God’s sake, tear all this stuff away and just give me a damn glass of water. Then I'll pay you what I owe you and leave.

She would have shouted at them, but the only breath filtering from her broken mouth didn't even sound like a koala moan anymore.

"Yes, I understand the curiosity, Ms. White." The doctor's eyes now reminded her of those of an abyssal fish.

"You have crossed the border and turned to us to participate in the pharmacological trials and, may I add, further to helping medical progress, you have also come because we pay fairly well."

A wet and repeated slap against the floor, in a point her eyes couldn’t reach, seemed to smear those statements along the washed-out walls. Through scarcely oiled winches, the human crane behind the doctor leaned forward in her direction.

"Well, Ms. White, notwithstanding the circumstance, you will be pleased to know that we have decided to still include you in the program. You will earn your fair compensation, after all."

Perhaps because of the narcotics, the doctor's face kept changing as if his features were playing hide and seek in the blind corners of her perception. A sound came from a low point close to the bed, similar to a badly restrained gurgle, while the doctor quietly turned away.

"You will have your money, despite your unfortunate condition or, perhaps, thanks to it," he said in a last laconic murmur.

Let’s grow together!

The wise pectin-packed Bananafish wants all of its beloved people to benefit from rich upvotes. The more of us join the trail or delegate SP, the more our vote on your entries is worth.

Unity is strength, if you would like to contribute to the cause, click here to delegate 25 SP, 10 SP or find out here how to delegate an amount of your choosing!

Following the voting trail is an effortless way to make sure you always support the other participants to the Bananafish contests, automatically upvoting the posts (but not the comments) @bananafish upvotes. It only takes a few minutes to join, you can find all the instruction on how here. So check it out and make the most of your voting power while supporting your fellow bananites!

Let’s raise a glass to @foffelius, @steelochlaver, @f3nix, @marcoriccardi, @anixio, @gwilberiol, @calluna, @ntowl, @dirge, @seesladen, @theironfelix, @letalis-laetitia, @vdux, @felixgarciap, @tristancarax, @khasa, @stever82, @brisby, @drazeus, @robinsonr810, @michaias who are already in the trail.

Join the fun!

Here is how this contest works:

• An unfinished fiction story or a script is posted.
• You finish it with your own post (use the #finishthestory as your first tag) or comment in the comment section. A limit of 700 words is recommended. We have increased the word count for this time.
• WIN 15 STEEM which goes to the writer with the best ending.

The submission deadline: Thursday - December 12th, 2:00 AM EST (U.S. East Coast time zone). Results will be announced by Friday – December 13th, (Friday, the 13th. Who would have thought? 😊 ) at or before 7:00 AM EST (U.S. East Coast time zone). You may vote your favorite story until the results are out!

A special thanks to @gwilberiol, @dirge, @tristancarax, @theironfelix, @raj808, @brisby, @maverickinvictus, @cyemela, @marcoriccardi, @hidden84, @calluna, @oivas, @ntowl, @f3nix, @felt.buzz, @khasa and @vdux for their precious delegations, making this project a reality! If you like this contest..SPREAD THE GOSPEL! We're grateful for your resteeming and word of mouth. Everything helps to grow together!

GOOD LUCK, BRAVE STORYTELLERS!